Shy and Timid
by ItscalledLove
Summary: Aries wasn't always shy and timid. Not even close. One-shot for my BFF (best fan-fiction friend), Pixies Between The Pages. All about Aries, her thoughts and feelings. Mentions of Leo, Lucy, Karen, and Angel. T to make me feel more comfortable.


**I don't own the cover pic. Don't sue me!**

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><p>Aries is the first of the Star Signs. She used to have a strong personality, and be very self-oriented. She was enthusiastic, talkative, and vibrant. Aries used to act before thinking things through, and that usually got her into trouble. But underneath that strong and independant surface was much more. Insecurity, fear, pressure. She would put all that pressure on herself, it made her doubt herself. Her optimism and enthusiasm would usually overtake her doubts and she never let anyone know. She put up a barrier, a wall that she would never take down.<p>

It was centuries ago, eons, but Aries can still remember the first time she was summoned by her first master. The bewilderment on their faces, how they practically worshiped her and her spirit brethren. Aries was only called on in dire situations, and was able to take down any enemy that tried to hurt her masters.

Aries was happy for a while. A few years, maybe. Her masters and mistresses came and went. She was released and contracted with new and old celestial mages, as they liked to call themselves.

She can still remember the day when her wall crumbled to the ground. Her master was overtaken by another mage, and she was unable to block the final attack. Aries could feel her bond with him breaking, snapping in two, and with it her resolve. Aries blamed herself. She thought… She _knew_, that if she had been one attack sooner, or just a bit faster…

Aries grew timid, and shy. Afraid of making another mistake, she became slower and less powerful. Overtime, she was disregarded as one of the more "weak" spirits. Aries was not weak. Her own spirit was weak. Aries's family and friends were shocked by her new attitude. Shy and scared of trying anything new. She apologized constantly, it was almost like a verbal tic, now. After everything she did or said, it was always, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me…"

Because of the state she was in, her power was misused and mistreated. Beat and battered she would ignore the world and avoid her friends and family. She worried Leo most.

Aries was put on the black market, she didn't know how, but she didn't question it. Her key fell into the hands of Karen Lilica.

At first, she didn't think Karen was all that bad. But her true colors shown through soon enough. Karen used her as a shield. The green haired woman would use Aries to 'entertain' the men that bothered her mistress. Even now, memories of those endless nights were etched permanently into her brain.

She was unable to force close her own gate, and she begged and pleaded to be let free, stop the cruelty and punishment. Karen would scoff, and drain Aries's energy by keeping her on Earthland for days, weeks on end. Karen would beat her again and again until she couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't until Karen died and Leo was banished, she was set free from the terrible woman. And Aries blamed herself. She convinced herself that if she hadn't complained, hadn't gone and cried to Leo, he wouldn't have forced closed her gate and Karen wouldn't be dead. Leo wouldn't be banished.

The woman Karen had fallen to was just as bad. Maybe even worse. Angel. She used Aries a shield as well, only calling her to be killed, and forced cruelly back to the spirit world. Aries's old friends, Gemini, didn't seem to mind the wickedness of Angel, in fact they went along with it, and seemed to collect joy out of their cruelty. Aries was unable to anything, as she was never allowed to go home for extended amounts of time.

Angel seemed unbeatable, as part of the Oracion Seis. The girl who tried to defeat Angel was a celestial mage as well, so it seemed like a fair fight. But the girl, Lucy, had no idea of the affairs of the spirits. After Aquarius left with Scorpio, Lucy summoned Leo, or Loke as she called him. Aries knew Angel would call her, she tried to stop it, she called forth every ounce of willpower she had, but to no avail. Leo was shocked, and Lucy too.

Aries did not want to fight her friend, and Leo's mistress surprised her. Lucy tried to force close Leo's gate, saying she did not want him to fight his friend. Leo looked forlorn, but refused. Aries was not a combat spirit anymore, and because of that, Leo quickly got the upper hand on her. Angel was a cruel and wicked woman, but a very powerful mage. She summoned Caelum, her main weapon against her enemies, and fired a shot at her and Leo, despite the fact that Aries was on her side.

Aries vanished, and forced into the spirit world. But she looked on Angel and Lucy. Lucy was a kind soul, Aries could see that right away. Lucy was horrified at Angel's actions against Aries, and Aries could feel herself start to cry. She hadn't had someone care about her welfare and well being in a long time. Even though Lucy had no power left, she begged for Aries's release, Lucy's own life being the bargaining chip. Aries freely cried, Lucy didn't even know her, yet she was willing to give her life for a celestial spirit. Gemini was ordered to kill her but didn't, and thanks to some outside help, Lucy was able to defeat Angel, finally releasing Aries from her captivity.

That finalized Aries already forming plan. She wanted to be contracted to Lucy.

Lucy was a kind and gentle heart, though very intimidating at times. She treated all her celestial spirits with respect and care. She treated Aries with respect and care. Lucy knew what each of her spirits powers were, but she also knew their limits. She would never call Aries unless she had complete and total confidence that she could handle the situation. Aries finally felt that she was where she belonged.

Even though she still had a bit of an inferiority complex, and she always apologized for everything, Aries felt safe, Aries felt like she had a home. Before, Aries would have described her as a shy a timid _thing. _But thanks to Lucy, and the care she received from other spirits, she changed that image of herself, even if by a smidgen.

Aries was a shy and timid _girl_, but that wouldn't stop her. No, not anymore.


End file.
